Earlier this year, I was afforded the opportunity to attend the alumni Ponderosa and Thyme retreat in Manzanita Oregon. It was such an occasion for nurturing and centering my flower self, I couldn't pass it up.

My friend Megan (from Isle de Flores in Nantucket) and I drove up to Manzanita together from my house in Oakland (I met her at last year's workshop in England and we hit it off immediately) She and I had a wonderful time together. We are flower souls, and maybe even just soul sisters.

The beach installation the group did, featuring local grown tulips from Witte Farm and our fabulous Model, Carrie McIntyre Jones.

The workshop/retreat itself was spectacular. We all stayed in one house together, we cooked, we ate, we danced in the rain. There were no expectations and yet, we managed to forge some very strong bonds and even heal our souls a bit. We made beauty. We cried. We shared secrets.

Photo of my bridal bouquet/giant bridal bush held by Carrie in an Anthro dress. by Anne Blodgett

The thing about being a florist, is it's really hard. It's a creative job, and yet it's filled with a lot of labor (a lot), business decisions, tired hands, a lot of customer service, plenty of anxiety, flowers that die, expectations, cliques of designers and quite a bit of competition. Hence the hashtag I often use #creativityovercompetition.

So, the fact that Katie was able to create this environment for floral designers, and that so many of us go to these types of workshops, is a testament to how much we need this. We need it to keep designing. Actually, we need it to keep living. So go. Do it. If you're not a florist, do it some way or do it anyway, shoot, it's a human thing. We all need something lik this. And we need it often.

I could go on and on here, but mostly I just wanted to share how much this experience opened my heart. It reminded me to live and work in the way I want to be seen in this world: as a beautiful person on the inside, creating beautiful things on the outside.

A group of us who came together in the rain to make a flower mandala, and touch hearts. Photo by Anne Blodgett

I'm thankful for all the hearts I've touched in the years I've been doing this work, and I look forward to connecting to more of us creative souls. In Peace and a florist's clarity of heart, Pilar of G&G

A photo of Pilar on the beach after our vessel arrangements were made. Photo by Anne Blodgett

I was recently asked to collaborate with a marketing and branding guru, Anastasia from The Identite Collective. She was in need of beautiful florals for a two day workshop at the famed Oh Happy Day Studios in SF, and I was in need of some great pointers to help me with my brand and social media marketing. It was friendship and collaboration magic, and I believe we both got a lot out of helping each other. It was also a great opportunity to create supportive community, and with some amazing business gals to boot. Here are a few photos from the fantastic weekend workshop and the florals. If you are in need of a marketing guru who specializes in women entrepreneurs, check her out!

Beautiful Bouquets, Summer blooms, Redwoods and views. This summer I created one of my favorite bridal bouquets for Brian and Emily who got hitched at the Oakland Nature Friends in the Oakland hills. It was a spectacular day.

I'm excited to announce that the new Gorgeous and Green studio in Oakland, CA is up on Design Sponge! Featuring beautiful images by Nicole of Sorella Muse and curated beautifully by Rebekah of A and B Creative. It's a sample of the goings on in this little corner of the Bay, where we create fresh, bountiful, local grown and artfully designed floral and botanical designs for events, corporate offices as well as floral designs and gift boxes for local gift delivery by bike (by Pedal Express). If you haven't had a chance to see my little creative heaven in Oakland, please visit the tour here.

The corrugated metal of the front of the studio

Making beautiful designs in the studio with local grown goodness.

Hands hard at work.

The ever popular reclaimed chandeliers painted chartreuse.

You'll see a lot of reuse, reclaimed items, beautiful florals, lots of natural light, and of course the chartreuse chandeliers. Enjoy.

This past April I had the amazing opportunity to attend a Ponderosa Workshop in the English Countryside. What? you say. Yes, I say. A floral design workshop for floral designers (and a few new-to-flowers) in England, in the country, on a famous Manor, in a house that holds famous philosophical texts, amidst beautiful gardens and water. There are even a few horses there. Now, the English Countryside is beautiful. But this location was totally breathtaking. I mean, it's a magazine cover kind of situation (cue Wedding Sparrow). The bulk of our days and evenings were spent at the St Giles House. A beautiful estate with a rich history.

If you studied American history, British history, philosophy, government and the like, you might have heard of John Locke. Well, let's just say one of his best buds was The First Earl of Shaftesbury, and he owned this house many moons ago. He himself was a politician (religious freedom, etc) and quite the philosopher as well.

Fast forward to the present: The current owner of the house at St Giles is also an Earl of Shaftesbury. He and his wife, the Countess, have taken great care in restoring and updating St Giles, and it's a beauty to behold. They are fabulous people and have a long list of accolades, as they do a lot of things to benefit their community and the public. I won't divulge too much here, but let's just say the world is a better place with them in it, and the next time I have a chance to share a bottle of wine and conversation with them, I will not hesitate. So back to the workshop... We've already set the stage with the beautiful location.

For the actual workshop part, the players continue to impress. Our teacher and workshop leader was Katie Davis of Ponderosa and Thyme. What a lovely woman and human. Her soft yet strong encouragement; her vibrant smile and whimsical artistry; her poise and welcoming demeanor. The list goes on. She was a fantastic workshop leader and allowed us to experience the full breath of the land and space in that countryside paradise. She has a beautiful soul, and her creations dare to match.

You have to believe, this was a once in a lifetime experience with such wonderful people, and I am so fortunate to have made the journey. Speaking of people, there were so many beautiful souls with such different and unique artistic talent. I can't talk about this workshop without mentioning all the magical hands that were there to create and help us create (all photos by Maria Lamb). So, I'm going to introduce all the participants in the workshop so you can get a sense of the skill and artistry that prevailed at this event.

Learning and trying techniques during Katie's workshops in the St Giles Library:

We were treated to a plethora of beautiful blooms, many of which were grown in England. (cue tulips from Electric Daisy Flower Farm) The textures, colors and abundance made the heart sing.

The details of this experience were numerous, and I would love to share more about the creativity and beauty that took place in the English Countryside. Stay tuned for another installment of Creating Dreams in the English Countryside at the Ponderosa Workshop.

This Summer we created some beautiful designs for a wedding at the Presidio. From large floral pieces in copper buckets, to sprawling table designs featuring citrus, it was a lot of beautiful color and texture in the Log Cabin. Take a look at some of the beauty from the day:

The large Arrangements getting their finishing touches at the studio.

Flower and leaf installation on each table, check out the blood oranges and grapefruits.

It's prime wedding season, and we get asked to create designs in all manner of colors, textures and styles. Our favorite are natural and lush arrangements. This wedding order for a ceremony in Yosemite included a wild and textural feel, with bright and natural colors. We wanted to use flowers that would last in the heat as well. Take a look at some of the rustic, wild elegance we created for this couple.

Bright and festive colors and blooms for this couple's Summer wedding in Tiburon. They chose a beautiful location in Marin, with the ceremony on a bluff in Marin and the Reception in the historic China Cabin. With beautiful cobalt dresses and the water surrounding the venue, these shades of golden yellow and plum really popped. Photos by our friend and lovely photographer Sonya Yruel....

Adorable lineup of the boutonnieres in shades of golden yellow, white and plum. Can you guess which one is the groom's?

Here are more beautiful images from last Summer's Vintage inspired wedding at the Berkeley City Club. The centerpieces were so fun to dream up, lots of fun vintage pieces like phones and typewriters, vases and candlesticks. The best part about all this decor, it was the epitome of reuse! Here is the second segment of beautiful shots from the photographer Sonya Yruel...

Sweet garden rose boutonniere with thistle

Vintage Phone and little pot centerpiece.

Love this vintage mirror, ferns and feathers as a centerpiece.

Vintage typewriter and nice accents makes for a vintage and lively centerpiece.